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Difficulty: MediumMonophthongs (Pure Vowels)

Fill in each blank with the appropriate International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbol for the monophthong vowel sound highlighted in each word.

Answer:The underlined letters ea in the word h<u>ea</u>rth produce the pure vowel sound 【/ɑː/】, while the same spelling pattern ea in h<u>ea</u>ther produces the pure vowel sound 【/e/】.

Answer

The first blank requires the long monophthong symbol /ɑː/, while the second blank requires the short monophthong symbol /e/.
In English phonetics as evaluated by the JAMB UTME syllabus, the spelling 'ea' in 'hearth' represents the long open back monophthong /ɑː/, whereas the same spelling 'ea' in 'heather' represents the short front mid-open monophthong /e/.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the pronunciation of the word 'hearth'.
The word 'hearth' is pronounced /hɑːθ/ in standard British English (Received Pronunciation).
The digraph 'ea' in 'hearth' functions as an exception where it represents the open back unrounded monophthong /ɑː/.
2
Analyze the pronunciation of the word 'heather'.
The word 'heather' is pronounced /ˈheð.ə/.
The digraph 'ea' in 'heather' represents the short front mid-open unrounded monophthong /e/.

Key Concept

Identifying pure vowel sounds (monophthongs) represented by variable orthographic spelling patterns.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Monophthongs (Pure Vowels)

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